A Change in Routine
by ReySolo
Summary: *Ch 3 added!!* Their sophomore year at Romafeller University, Duo convinces his roommate Quatre to join the gymnastics team. He meets some strange people who end up being his closest friends... especially the silent unibanged one... (4+3 AU)
1. Make new friends, but keep the old

Summary: Their sophomore year at Romafeller University, Duo convinces his roommate Quatre to join the gymnastics team. He meets some strange people who end up being his closest friends... especially the silent unibanged one...

Disclaimer: I don't own these wonderful characters, just the strange situations I force upon them...

Pairings: Eventual 3+4, 1+2, other various

Author's Notes: One year ago, when I'd only recently gotten into Gundam Wing, I noticed an unusual percentage of 3x4 fics going up one day (including my buddy Tori Sakana's "A Music Lesson"--go read it!). Thus, I designated April 21 "Official 3x4 Day." This year, to celebrate, I decided to put up the first part of my first multi-part 3x4 fic. Enjoy!

Oh, one additional note: Don't ask me why I decided to make the boys do gymnastics when I've never personally done it myself. I just wanted some club for them to be in, and for some reason decided Trowa should be a gymnast. So, just warning y'all, don't expect any really technical terms or anything. Apologies to any real gymnasts out there!

A Change in Routine  
by ReySolo

~~~~~~~

"Please, Quat, you have to join!"

I shake my head resolutely. "I told you, Duo, I'm not a gymnast."

"Sure you are!" my best friend and roommate replies. "It'll be fun! Would I lie?"

He looks at me with big puppy dog eyes. They used to work on me, but he's manipulated me with them so many times in the past year that I've become immune. "'You may run and hide, but you never lie,'" I quote his motto back at him. "Well, maybe it _is_ fun, for _you_. But I don't see myself in a leotard doing strange bendy things."

Duo sighs. "It's more than 'strange bendy things,' Quat! And you have more than the right body for it!"

I eye him suspiciously. "What are you doing checking out my body?"

He grins at me. "You can't blame me for appreciating a nice body. Come on, you're gay, I'm bi; what's the problem?"

"The _problem_, is that we decided long ago that we're just friends, and I don't want my relationship with my roommate weirded out like that, okay?"

Shrugging, he retorts, "What's wrong with just looking? It's not like I'm just gonna jump you in the middle of the night or something."

"Duo! That is most definitely an image I did _not _need."

He looks all offended, but I'm pretty sure it's in jest. "Are you saying _ you _don't appreciate _my _wonderful body?" He pulls his shirt up his stomach half-way, striking what he apparently sees as a sexy pose.

I sigh, shaking my head. He grins back at me, knowing I'm not really bothered by his usual flirty antics. "If I agree to try out gymnastics for just one day, will you quit bugging me about it?"

He nods enthusiastically. "Fine. But only if you promise to seriously consider coming back if you do enjoy it."

I nod. "And you'll stop flirting with me, too?"

He grins suggestively. "Who said anything about that?"

Rolling my eyes, I turn away from him and go back to doing my homework, ignoring him entirely.

~~~~~~~

Well, it's Tuesday. The day I decided to give the gymnastics club a chance.

I'm strangely nervous for some reason. I don't know why. I think part of it is meeting the other people in the club. I've met a few of them, and Duo's told me some things about them, but... I don't know, I guess I'm just worried that Duo will spend all his time with them and I'll be the new guy standing in the corner by myself.

Of course, I haven't told Duo any of this. I just get my stuff and wait for him to throw all his stuff together last minute, then we walk across campus.

We arrive at the athletic center, then head to the room where gymnastics is held. No one else is there yet, so we just drop our stuff and head to the bathroom to change. I don't have a leotard or anything yet, so I'm just wearing a tank top and light-weight work-out pants.

As Duo comes out of his stall, I can't help but notice how his tight black leotard clings to his body. He's wearing a light pair of shorts over it, but that doesn't block the view of his muscular abdomen. I admit to myself (not actually for the first time) that he is very well-built, but I could never tell him that, or his ego would be through the roof even more than it is now. Besides, I wasn't lying when I said I really do like him just as a friend--albeit a rather good-looking friend.

When we head back out to the room, a few more bags have been left there, and two blond girls in leotards enter soon after us. One is Relena Peacecraft, who's in some of my psych classes; the other I've never seen before. She has incredibly long very pale hair and strange forked eyebrows.

"Hey, Duo, Quatre!" Relena greets us. Like all her clothes, her leotard is an alarming pink. She turns to Duo. "Finally convinced your roomie to come try this out?" She'd been asking me to join for a while, too.

Duo nods. "Took him long enough to give in, didn't he?" He grins at me. "And he's gonna enjoy it so much he's gonna keep coming back, right, Q?"

I shrug uncertainly as I glance at the other girl, who's eyeing me in a way that makes me a bit uncomfortable. "Hey, cutie," she purrs. "I'm Dorothy Catalonia, and you are Quatre...?" She puts a hand out.

"Winner," I answer warily, shaking her hand.

"You certainly are-"

"You're wasting your breath, Dorothy; the boy's queer as a three-dollar bill," Relena tells her, smiling at me.

I smile back gratefully. Most of my classmates know my sexual orientation, and if I can use it to ward off creepy females, so much the better. (Not that the excuse works to ward off Duo, but I can tell he's really only doing it to get a reaction out of me, anyway.)

Dorothy looks back at me, pouting. "It's true; all the good ones are gay or taken." Then she adds with a smile, "Well, nice to meet you anyway, Quatre."

I'm glad it seems we can comfortably be just friends. "Nice to meet you, Dorothy."

"DOROTHY!"

The shout comes from the other side of the room. I look over to see an annoyed looking redheaded girl and a brunette guy with strange bangs sticking straight forward. "What did I tell you about that hair??" the girl demands as she steps closer. I can't help but feel intimidated by her, despite her short stature.

Dorothy rolled her eyes. "Yes, Miss Barton. I was just about to put it up."

"Good," the redhead replies, dropping her bag and taking her clothes to go change. Silently the strange-banged boy beside her does the same.

Dorothy glares at the back of her head, but dutifully pulls her hair back into a ponytail at the same time. Once the door shuts, she grumbles, "Why does Cathy always pick on _me_? _Her _hair's never up."

"Your hair _is_ a lot longer than hers," Relena pointed out.

"I think it has more to do with the fact that you were practically stalking Trowa last year," Duo added.

"Is Trowa--?" I begin.

"The funky-haired guy with her, yeah," Duo answers. "They're twins. They've been doing gymnastics since they were like two, and they run the class. Well, Cathy runs the class--Trowa will help out with demos and stuff, but he practically never talks."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Dorothy complains. "I don't know why I wasted my time on that boy; I could have a more fulfilling relationship with a brick wall."

"Fulfilling relationship?" Relena asks incredulously. "Is that what you want to have? I thought you just went around stalking every unattainable guy on campus for the pure challenge of it."

Dorothy glares at her good-naturedly. "You're the one who neglected to tell me your brother was already in a serious relationship."

I look at Relena, feeling as if I'm watching a verbal ping-pong match. I must admit, these are very interesting people...

"I would've thought that being in a club with Lu you'd have known; she only talks about him every five minutes."

"Speaking of whom..." Duo interrupts, pointing to the door.

A girl with short purplish hair and a guy with long blond hair enter hand in hand, the guy carrying a bag. He sets it down, and they kiss.

"Hey, Noin, Zechs, enough with the public displays of affection!" my roommate shouts across the room.

"Yeah, Milli! I get enough of that at home as it is!" Relena adds. "Come on, Lu!"

I look at the people who entered, then back at the people beside me. The confusion must be evident on my face, because Duo explains, "That's Lucrezia Noin and her boyfriend and Lena's brother, Milliardo Peacecraft. For some reason, Lena and her brother are the only ones allowed to call her by any form of her first name. And Milliardo somehow got the nickname Zechs from his relationship with Noin. I think Lena's the only one who calls him Milli." 

I nod, though I think I'm more confused now. Milliardo/Milli/Zechs leaves after the kiss with Lucrezia/Lu/Noin, and she comes to drop off her bag.

She introduces herself to me quickly as "just Noin," then heads off to change. As she leaves, Cathy and Trowa come back into the room, soon followed by a girl I know and a Chinese boy I don't know. The two club leaders begin to set up the equipment and stuff, while the other two come over to talk to us.

"Hey, Duo! Hey, Quat!" Hilde greets us. "Took you long enough!" Hilde is a good friend of Duo's; they study together a lot. She'd been bugging me to come join almost as much as Duo and Relena had.

"Hi, Hilde," I smile.

The Chinese guy looks at me, then bows. "Chang Wufei. Am I correct in assuming that you are Maxwell's roommate, Quatre Winner?"

I blink, before bowing in turn. "Um, yes. Nice to meet you."

"It is an honor to meet you as well," he replies, bowing once more. He turns to go take his stuff and change, following Hilde.

Cathy and Trowa walk over after setting up. "I apologize for not introducing myself earlier," the redhead states. "I'm Cathy Barton, co-instructor of this club."

I feel slightly less intimidated now, and manage to introduce myself. "Quatre Winner."

The unibanged boy puts a hand out to shake. "Trowa Barton."

Returning the handshake, I hear an exaggerated gasp from Duo. "He speaks! I think he just used up his supply of words for the next week or so."

Trowa looks at my somewhat tactless roommate for a moment, his lovely green eyes unreadable. He turns back to me. "Nice to meet you."

Duo begins to fake having a heart attack on the floor. We ignore him.

Soon, Noin, Hilde, and Wufei return, and Cathy begins.

We warm up, stretch, then begin actual gymnastics. I feel like an idiot when everybody starts doing stuff automatically, and Cathy has to talk me through things. Everyone else there really looks like they know what they're doing, and I feel like the biggest klutz ever. Not that I'm ordinarily clumsy or anything; the others just make all the activities look simple and elegant, while I feel like an elephant trying to imitate a bunch of nimble monkeys.

Cathy and Trowa are particularly impressive. Duo tells me they've been doing this stuff since they were two; that explains why they're almost inhumanly flexible. Watching them is rather humbling, but it's also incredible.

I have to admit, I think I realized at least part of the reason Duo enjoys this. Even aside from their rather interesting personalities, the other members of this club offer another reason for Duo to show up. Every one of them is incredibly well built, with unusually strong muscles. Even though I'm not really attracted to the opposite sex, I have to appreciate the sleekness of these girls' bodies. And the guys... let's just say that I was having a bit of difficulty listening to Cathy's advice on proper vaulting techniques when Wufei was practicing on the parallel bars and Trowa was doing a one-handed handstand. I then realized that the somewhat stern co-instructor might not take kindly to me ignoring her and drooling over her brother, so I turned my attention back to her.

Anyway, the two hours are over almost before I realize it. Everybody stands in a circle as she makes a few announcements, then we head to our bags to go change.

As Duo and I follow behind Trowa and Wufei to the men's room, my roommate asks me, "So, what'd you think? Were the torturous stretches and the evil slave-driver Cathy--" Trowa turns to look back at him expressionlessly, but Duo grins and adds "Sorry, Tro--too horrible?"

I chuckle, shaking my head. "No, actually. I mean--I guess I'll keep coming, at least for a little while."

Duo lets out an enthusiastic "Whoop!", and I grin.

Maybe I'll even get decent at it and stop feeling so much like an idiot. Maybe I'll get to know these strange yet interesting people and have some new friends. Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought. 

~~~~~~~

To Be Continued...

If y'all want me to continue, that is. I mean, I like it, but I don't know if anyone else does... Please, let me know!

Oh, and I promise there's more 3+4 coming up!


	2. It's just a little crush

Sorry about the long time between updates. I thought summer break would mean I'd get more fic done; so far, it's just meant more being a complete lazy bum.

Anyway, thanks to all my wonderful reviewers: kate (I know about Catherine and Trowa, but since this is an AU, I felt I could alter that; I prefer keeping his name Trowa Barton), SilverShinigami, silvereyes78, MissyIrene, Sparda219 (Okay, okay, put the gun down, slowly... And I agree about Relena; she's not as bad as most people make her out to be), akasha, and Nekocin (Nope, I plan to draw it out and torture Q, that all right w/you? :) ). Glad you all are enjoying it enough for me to continue! Here's chapter 2 for y'all, enjoy! :)

A Change in Routine  
by ReySolo

~~~~~~~

"Come on, Quat, it's not as bad as you think."

"No," I pout, crossing my hands over my chest and feeling like a five-year-old. Still, I'm not stepping out of this bathroom stall dressed like this.

"Cathy's gonna make us do a million laps if we're late," Duo warns.

"You go ahead, then," I suggest seriously. "I'll change and meet you out there."

"You're not changing! Look, everybody has a leotard, what's the big deal?" Duo sounds like he's starting to get annoyed.

I feel bad, but I'm not giving in. "The big deal is that I look stupid! Everybody else looks normal in these." I've been going to gymnastics for two weeks now, and rather enjoying it. Since I'd decided to continue, Cathy told me she'd order a uniform for me. Of course, I had to pay, but she had connections with some company to get a good one for pretty cheap. I didn't realize that she planned on choosing the color, so I got this blue-green _thing _that I'm wearing now. It actually seemed okay until I put it on, but now all I want to do is take it off.

"Actually, I don't think Dorothy will ever look normal until she changes those eyebrows. And Trowa's bangs--I think they must in some way help with his balance or something, but you gotta admit, they aren't exactly _normal_..."

"I'm going to change now." I start to pull off the leotard.

"Oh, no, you're not. I'll come in there under the stall door if you don't open it in three seconds," he states in all seriousness.

My eyes widen. I'd say he's bluffing, but Duo doesn't lie.

"One..."

"Duo..." I plead.

"Two..."

I quickly pull the leotard back on fully.

"Three!"

I open the stall, to see Duo drop onto his hands and knees, about to crawl under the door.

He looks up at me, eyes going wide, and whistles. "Wow, Quat. Why'd you want to look normal, when you look like _that_?"

I blush, looking away. He has to be saying that to make me feel better, since I know he's seen Trowa and Wufei, who look _way _better than I do.

"I mean it, Quat," he says seriously, as if he were reading my mind. "You look great."

I shrug, still not meeting his eyes.

"Can we go in, now?"

Nodding, I pick up my clothes. Guess I'll just have to accept this.

~~~~~~~

Walking back to the room, we pass the exercise and work-out machines, as always. Unlike always, however, there's a muscular Japanese guy in a green tank top and black spandex shorts working out on one of the weight machines. I simply note that I haven't seen him before, then continue on. Duo, on the other hand, keeps his gaze on the guy until his head can't crane any farther back. When we reach the door, he finally turns his head back to look at me.

"_Wow_," he says, eyes wide.

I pretend to look jealous. "I thought _I _was 'Wow.'"

He rolls his eyes. "I thought you didn't _want _me looking at you that way. Besides, you're 'Wow, cute sexy boy.' _He _was 'Wow, intensely hot vision of utter manliness.'"

It's my turn to roll my eyes. "Sounds like _somebody_ has a crush..."

"Do not... He just had a nice body... A _very _nice body..." His eyes wander back to the boy in question.

I sigh exaggeratedly, then head into the room. I'm not going to do laps for being late because of Duo drooling over the guy.

After another few seconds he comes in after me, and we get lined up before Cathy can scold us for being late.

Later, we line up to practice new vaulting styles. I've gotten slightly better, though I still feel rather self-conscious. I watch Trowa gracefully vault before me. Then I take my turn, just managing to remain on my feet after landing. When I get back in line behind him, Trowa whispers to me, "That color goes well with your eyes."

My eyes widen, and I manage to get out a "thank you." I can feel my cheeks burning, glad he turned back to wait for his next turn so he wouldn't see my blush.

Why did that comment affect me so much? No, I will not let myself get a crush on somebody on the team. I can look, but I don't want to actually get into the emotional commitment of a crush, only to find out they're straight or taken or something anyway.

But I guess I don't really mind my new leotard so much after all...

~~~~~~~

For the next several weeks, I keep going to gymnastics. I attend every practice, Tuesday through Friday. More and more, I start to really enjoy hanging out with the people. Dorothy and Relena always have a constant friendly bickering contest going on. Wufei will occasionally rant about how weak somebody is, or the injustice of some new technique Cathy makes us try. Cathy isn't actually as strict as she first seems, and even shows a sense of humor occasionally, though she does make us work hard. Noin talks about Zechs a lot, but it's not too bad, because then we also get embarrassing stories from Relena about when he was younger. Hilde and Duo both crack jokes all the time, sometimes breaking our concentration, but we enjoy it anyway.

Trowa... Trowa confuses me.

He isn't really as quiet as Duo and the others make him out to be. Occasionally, he'll make some sarcastic comment or something, but I think I'm the only one who hears them. Half the time I look at him to see if I was just imagining his voice, and he'll just have an expressionless face, but a sort of amused twinkle in his eye. Actually, it's kind of cute, and he does have really nice eyes... Stop. I told myself I'm not getting a crush, and I mean it.

Speaking of crushes, ever since that one day, the Japanese guy is almost always at the athletic center working out. And Duo _always _stares at him. Either the guy is incredibly unobservant, or he's really good at hiding the fact that he notices the attention. I think this fixation is starting to become unhealthy--I mean, Duo's stopped flirting with _anyone _else. Not that I really mind that he stopped flirting with _me_, but... I wish he'd either go talk to the guy, or give it up already.

But really, I do enjoy gymnastics now a lot more than I ever thought I would. I'm feeling a lot more confident about my abilities, and I even go when Duo sometimes can't make it. (He's a Space Science major, and occasionally has to observe some special star at night.) Before, I would only go if he went, but now I enjoy it even without the support of my roommate.

And it has nothing to do with the fact that Trowa's hot. Nothing.

Okay, fine. Maybe a little. But not just that.

So there.

~~~~~~~

"So how was gymnastics today?" Duo asks as he enters our dorm room after observing late one night. 

I look up from my homework, grinning. "It was great. Dorothy was fake flirting with Relena when spotting her on the uneven bars, and Relena got startled and fell. Dorothy caught her, but happened to have her tongue out since she was attempting to look seductive, so she bit her tongue."

Duo laughs. "Damn, wish I could've been there. I'll have to tease them about it tomorrow."

I grin. "I expected nothing less. Actually, Trowa made a comment, too, about lesbian gymnasts and... yeah." I don't really want to repeat it, but it was hilarious at the time.

My roommate looks at me funny. "You always tell me about strange things Trowa says. I swear, I never hear more than three words out of the guy's mouth in a week. You sure you're not hearing things?"

I half-glare at him. "Trowa's hilarious; you just have to _listen_."

He looks seriously at me for once. "You like him, don't you? As in, _like _him."

Opening my mouth to deny it, I find myself not wanting to do so. Instead, I nod slowly.

"I knew it!" Duo grins at me, and I can't help but start to smile back. "Come on, Quat, there's nothing wrong with that! You two'd make a cute couple!"

I shrug, not wanting to get my hopes up. "Yeah, if he even liked me."

"Sure he likes you! Who wouldn't? You're adorable!"

I sigh. "You know what I mean. What are the chances that he even likes _ guys_ like that?"

"He's on the gymnastics team."

"So is Wufei," I point out.

"The ultimate woman-hater? Ten bucks says he's gay."

"You're on."

"You're changing the subject--what about Trowa? You never know until you ask, right?"

"That's a great idea," I state sarcastically. "I'll just go up to him and say, 'Hey, Trowa, I think you're hot. Any chance you're gay? Cuz then maybe we could go have hot passionate sex after class sometime.'"

Duo looks shocked--and possibly proud? "Geez, Quat, I didn't know I'd corrupted your innocent little mind _that_ much."

I shake my head. "You didn't... Trowa did..." I vaguely realize how illogical that sounds, but I can't help it.

Duo shook his head, an affectionate grin on his face. "You _really_ like him, don't you?"

"Yeah..." Now that I've fully admitted it to my best friend, I find myself more willing to consider the possibility myself. Could Trowa and I really...? But what if I'm just setting myself up for rejection?

"Well, I meant what I said earlier. You should talk to him. Not necessarily about sexual preferences, just about... stuff. Get to know him better."

"Like you've done with that Japanese guy at the athletic center you're always lusting after?"

"That's different. And anyway, you're changing the subject again." I can tell that I've effectively changed his line of thought, too, as his eyes go out of focus. The slight smile on his otherwise vacant expression tells me he's definitely thinking about the object of his fantasies.

"How is that different?"

He looks at me again. "It just is. You at least know his name. You're in a club with him. You have reason to approach him and try to at least be his friend."

I liked it better when the pressure was on Duo. "I... I guess..."

"Just try to talk to him tomorrow, okay?"

I shrug. _Talk _to _Trowa_...? I guess Duo's right; I won't know until I try.

~~~~~~~

To Be Continued...

Hopefully, part 3 will be up sooner, but more reviews are more likely to speed me up! :)


	3. People are finally getting together

Okay, okay, I'm *really* sorry it took me so long to get this part up. I promise to try to get parts out faster in the future, I really do...

Thanks so much to all who reviewed: aka-kitsune-chan, mini-azn, GoldenRat, Small J, rd, Tini-angel, and Sanc.

A Change in Routine  
by ReySolo

~~~~~~~

I lie on my bed, reading through the next chapter of my Psychology of Adjustment textbook. As the door to our room opens, I look up to see Duo enter with the largest smile I've seen in a while. "Have a nice day?" I ask somewhat needlessly.

His smile grows even more, as he drops his bag on the floor and drops onto his bed. "The computers at work were acting up again, and I nearly lost all the data I'd been working on for the past week," he states cheerfully.

I blink. "Um... and this explains your current good mood how?" His smile doesn't _seem _particularly sarcastic...

"We had to call in tech support, and the student they sent had to work on the problem for a good two hours, with me standing over his shoulder the whole time."

I realize that he's over-dramatizing this for some reason, but I might as well play along. "And..."

"The guy from tech support happened to be an intensely hot vision of utter manliness."

I laugh, realization dawning. "The Japanese guy from the athletic center?"

Duo nods, and his eyes become unfocused. "The Japanese guy from the athletic center. Heero..."

"Oooh, he has a _name _now?" I tease, grinning at my roommate's complete infatuation.

"_Yes_, he has a _name_," Duo replies indignantly. "And he recognized me, too."

"As the only guy on campus with a three-foot-long braid?"

"As the guy with the hottest ass on campus apart from his own."

"Nice to know you're just as modest as always."

He glares at me. "There's nothing wrong with having respect for my own body. Or showing it off. Or draping it shamelessly over hot tech support guys."

I sigh, shaking my head affectionately. "Why do I have the feeling it shouldn't have taken him the whole two hours to fix the computer problem?"

"Um..." He attempts to look innocent for a moment, but failing miserably, he gives up. "Okay, fine, I may have been a bit distracting."

"Duo, you didn't scare the poor guy, did you?"

"Scare? _Moi_?" Once again, the innocent look fails. "Hell no! First of all, I don't think anything could scare this guy. Secondly, he was _so _ flirting right back."

"If you say so."

He puts a hand to his chest. "I'm deeply wounded, Quat! You don't believe that my sexual magnetism couldn't attract any person I wanted?"

I pause for a moment, as if deeply considering the question... "No."

He glares once again. "_Anyway_, it wasn't just physical. We actually talked for a lot of that time, too. I found out not only his name, but also that he's a double major in computer science and mechanical engineering, and that his parents are Japanese but he was born here in America, and that he's a black belt in tae kwon do, and that he..."

"And you two were both being _paid _for this time?"

Duo sighs dramatically. "And to think I tried to encourage you in your obsession with Mr. Silent in gymnastics. Thanks for the support here, buddy."

I roll my eyes. "Congratulations on actually finding out his name, Duo. So did you actually make any further advances, or just flirt for two hours?"

His expression changes to one of annoyance. "No, actually, he'd just finished fixing the problem when Dr. G. came back into the office, so we couldn't do anything more. But," he added with a grin, "He said, 'See you at the athletic center' as he was leaving. Now, does that mean he likes me or what?"

"Well, it means he's not going to stop working out there just to avoid you..."

Duo chucks his pillow at me. "So what's the status on you and Tro?"

I shrug, moving to lay on top of his pillow. "I dunno. I do try to talk to him a bit during gymnastics, and I say hello to him when I see him around campus, but... I can't just outright flirt like you do, especially since I really don't know if he even _could _see me as anything more than just a friend."

My roommate looks suspiciously contemplative. "Y'know, all you two need is a little push in the right direction..."

My eyes widen. "Please, Duo, don't do anything..."

He pouts. "Okay, fine. But if you don't act soon, you never know what'll..." He trails off, realizing something. "Hey, gimme back my pillow!"

I smirk, clutching it against my chest. "Nope. You gave it to me, remember?"

"Come on, Quat..."

"Nope."

"Give."

"Make me."

Duo comes over to my bed, and tries to grab it from under me. I resist. He tickles me. I giggle and shriek, but kick at him, keeping the pillow tight against my chest. He grabs at it again...

By the end of the fight, we're both on the ground, bruised and exhausted. "Here." Panting hard, I hand him the pillow in question.

Duo glares at me. "I hope you won't be this violent in bed with Trowa..."

Eyes widening, I indignantly shout, "Duo!" and smack him with my own pillow.

Which he grabs.

Here we go again...

~~~~~~~

When we show up at the athletic center the next day, Duo drags me over to the work-out area before we can put our bags down. "Come on, I wanna introduce you to Heero," he insists.

When we reach my roommate's current obsession, the Japanese boy stops using the exercise machine and stands. "Duo?"

"Hey, Heero!" Duo greets giddily. "Thanks again for the computer help yesterday."

"No problem," Heero answers. "Everything up and running now?" He states that so matter-of-factly, yet there's something in his eyes...

"Oh, yeah, up and in full working order; how's your own equipment?"

My eyes widen. If they're going to stand here and flirt like that... "I should go get changed..." I start to leave, but Duo grabs my arm.

"Hold up, Quat. Sorry." He pats me on the shoulder. "Heero, this is my roommate, Quatre Winner. Quat, Heero Yuy, computer god."

"Nice to meet you," we both say, then I head to go change. I don't want to be late, and besides, I really don't want to be there while they trade more innuendo.

Soon, Cathy starts, with Duo not there yet. "Okay, people, remember that we have a tournament coming up in a few weeks." Dang, I'd forgotten about that; I haven't decided whether I'm brave enough to go yet. "I need--"

She's interrupted as Duo enters sheepishly, wearing his leotard. "Ten laps, Maxwell," Cathy orders. He nods, then drops his bag and begins running.

"Anyway," she continues, "I need to know who's competing, so I can get the funding from Student Activities. It's only regionals, so we should be able to send anyone who wants to go. I know Trowa and I are competing; who else wants to go?"

"What day is it, again?" Hilde asks.

"The 25th; it's a Saturday."

Hilde sighs. "I can't go; my cousin's wedding is that weekend."

Cathy nods. "Okay, anybody else?"

Everybody else indicates that they want to compete. Even Duo shouts from his laps around the room, "I'm in, as long as I don't have to run in it!"

Everybody laughs, and Cathy shouts back, "Be on time, and you won't have to run, Maxwell!" He makes a face, but keeps running.

Cathy looks back at me. "What about you, Quatre; are you going?"

"Um..." I don't really want to be left out, but I really don't feel that I have enough ability or confidence yet. "Can I go just to watch?" I ask.

She nods. "If you want; but I do think you've gotten good enough to compete."

"Come on, Quat, you can do it!" Duo shouts. I can't help but wonder how he could even hear us from half-way across the room, let alone shout while not sounding out of breath at all.

I'm still unsure. "When do you need a final decision?"

"Not really for another few weeks; a tentative count should be okay for now. You need more time to consider it?"

I nod, grateful for the option.

"Okay, people," Cathy speaks to everyone again. "Start deciding what events and routines you want to do for the tournament; today you can work individually, and I'll come around to help if you have questions."

We warm up, Duo joining us when he finally finishes his laps. As both we each head to start practicing, I ask my roommate, "So, did you enjoy your little run?"

He glares at me, but the glare soon turns to a smile. "Well, it was worth it..."

I raise an eyebrow, silently asking a question.

"I got a date!" he announces gleefully.

I chuckle. "Congratulations, Duo." I then head toward the parallel bars, planning to take turns with Wufei. I pass Trowa practicing floor exercises, and find myself staring at his muscular chest, and lower... _Stop it_, I tell myself, and force myself to turn away before he catches me staring.

"Quatre," I hear from behind, moments after I turned. _Oh, dear Allah, don't let him have noticed me..._ I turn back.

"You should compete," he states, "You'll do great."

Blushing, but glad I hadn't been caught, I reply, "Thanks," before continuing toward the parallel bars.

Maybe I should compete after all...

You know, I'm thinking maybe this decision-making based only upon Trowa's statements has got to be indicative of some psychological disorder. I'll have to look it up in one of my psych books...

~~~~~~~

To Be Continued...


End file.
